Motion translating device



June 24, 195s v. T. CALFEE 2,839,937

MOTIONATRANSLATINGDEVICE Filed Nov. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-sheet 1 Mfg/7 Z' O/fee INVENTOR June 24, 1958 v. T. cALFx-:E

MOTION TRANSLATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W I W5 ATTORNEY United safes Patent o MOTION TRANSLATING DEviCE Virgil 'I'. Calfee, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Powerscope, Inc., a corporation of Texas Application November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,076

14 claims. (Cl. 7,4-61) and improved motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocating motion. 1

Still 'another object of the invention is to provide 'a new and improved motion translating device which may be connected between a rotating drive means and a 25 latter to reciprocate While the rotating drive means is imparting a substantially continuous Yuniform rotary force to the motion translating device.

A still further object of thejnvention is to provide a new and improved motion translating device, ofthe type described, which permits great forces to be applied periodically to the reciprocable work means to cause the latter to reciprocate while minimizing the shocks or` stresses on the rotatable drive means during application of such forces to the reciprocable work means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved motion translating device having a rotatable mass which is connected to the rotatable drive means at a n first axis removed from its center of mass whereby said rotatable drive means rtends to rotate said mass about said axis, the momentum of said mass however tending to cause said mass to rotate about a central axis passing through the center of mass.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved motion translating device of the type described above, where the mass is connected to the reciprocable work means at the rst axis.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved motion translating device of the type described, wherein the mass is free to oscillate in one path perpendicular to the mentioned axis, but is yieldably restrained by the reciprocable work means when oscillating in another path perpendicular to both the axis and the Y 10 ure 5; and

new and ICC Figure 4 is a side view of a modified form of the rotatablevmass, portions of the mass being broken away to 5 disclose Va displaceable mass disposed in a radial bore thereof;

Figure 5 is a side view of -a modified form of the motion translating device;

Figure 6 isvan end view of the device shown in Fig Figure 7 is a side view of still another modified form of the motion translating device.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawing the motion translating device 10 for translating l5 rotary motion into reciprocable motion includes a frame 11 havingY four upright corner columns 12 which have angle foot members 13 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the lower ends of each pair of corner columns.

The foot member 13 may in turn be rigidly secured to a iioor or other fixed structure by bolts 14 or in any other suitable manner.

The corner columns 12 ofA the frame support a pair of spaced horizontal plates 15 and 16 which also may be rigidly secured to the corner columns by welding or in any other suitable manner. The plates 15 `and 16 have aligned apertures provided with bearings 17 and y 18, respectively. A reciprocable work means or rod 19 extends upwardly through the bearings, theupper re-Y duced portion 20 thereof sliding in the upper bearing 17 bearing 18. The` intermediate portion 22 of the rod 19 is threaded Vwhereby. a ring 24 may be heldthereon at anyradju'sted position by a pair of nuts 25 threadedV thereonrand disposed on opposite sides of the ring.

A pair of'compression springs Z7 and 28 are disposed about the rod 19 betweenthe plates 15 and 16. The upper spring 26 has opposite ends bearing against thefy upper bearing 17, and therefore against the upper plate supports two drive arms 31 and 32. The arms are pro vided at their upper end with apertures through which lthe shafttl extends. connected at their upper ends to the rod `19.

A disc'or mass 34 isV rigidly mounted on a shaft 35' which is rotatably mounted on, and extends through suitcated on the axis X-X, but theY shaft 35 extends through the disc atan axis which is radially displaced from the 'I'he disc or mass 3ft is rotated by meansof'a flexible drive .shaft 36which is connected tothe disc shaft 35 b means of a suitable coupling 37.

It will now ibe -noted that the disc 34 may oscillate in Y an arcuate path lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the disc shaft 35 because of the pivotal or rotatable Y mounting of the upper ends of the drive arms 31 and 32 on the lower end of the rod 19. The disc 34 Will, however, be movable perpendicularly to the plane of this i.path and to the axis X-fX because the rodv 19 .is yieldinglyVN mounted for reciprocable movement along theaxisrlt'k--VYl Y,

which is perpendicular to the axis X-X,

and the lower portion 21 thereof sliding in ,thelower` 15, and the ring 274 to yieldingly urge the rod 19 downwardly. The lowerV spring 28 has opposite ends/bearing V4-lagainst the lower bearing 18, and therefore against the v. lower-plate 16 and the ring 24 to yieldingly urge the rod f an aper- The drive arms are thus pivotably e centerr axis'X-X as is clearly evident in Figures 1, 2

3 In use, the rotatable drive means or shaft 36 causes the disc 34 to rotate since it rotates the shaft 35 on which the disc is rigidly mounted. As the axis of the shaft 35 is not, however, at the centereof mass of the disc, the disc will tendy to move if permitted to do so, so` that it will actually rotate -about the center axis X-X, which is at the centery of mass. The shaft 35 will then move in an elliptical path about the center axis X-X. As it moves in this circular path iti, will cause` the rod 19 to `be moved reciprocably. For example, assuming that the rod 19 is in the upwardly displaced position shown in Figure l,A a 'further rotation of the disc 34 in the direction of the arrow 38 will cause the; shaft 3S to move in an arcuate path downwardly and first to the right and then to the left until it reaches-the lower; position shown in Figure 2. This motion ofthe disc shaft 35 is made possible by the pivotal mounting of the upper arms on the shaft 30 which permits the upper ends of the `arms to pivot first in the direction of the arrow 39 as 'the disc shaft moves to the right and then in the direction of the arrow 40 as the disc shaft next moves to the left to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3.

During this movement, of course, as the disc 34 remains suspended substantially stationary as far as its vertical movement as ya whole is concerned, the drive arms pull the rod 19 down to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. Further rotation of the disc 34 in the same direction will now cause the disc shaft 35 to move upwardly and first to the left and then to the right until it again reaches the position shown in Figure 1. During this movement the drive arms 31 and 32 move the'rod 19 upwardly` to the position shown in Figure 1. It will, of course, be seen that this reciprocable movement of the rodV 19`is yieldingly resisted by one spring land aided by the other and vice versa depending on the direction of movement of the rod.

During each rotation of the disc 34 about the axis X-X, of course, the end of the flexible shaft 36 at the coupling 37 will follow or describe a circular path. If desired, a rigidly mounted drive shaft could be employed in which case a universal coupling of a suitable typehas to be provided to connect the drive shaft to the disc shaft since the latter must move in a substantially circular path as the disc rotates.

It willnow be seen that the reciprocable work means or rod 19 can be connected to any suitable tool, or machine, such as a pump, hammer, saw or other device which is operated by power supplied by a reciprocating means. It will also be seen that the drive shaft 36 is almost completely isolated from shocks and stresses which oppose its rotation since it merely rotates the mass or disc 34 which in turn drives the reciprocating rod 19. Any such shocks or stresses are resisted and absorbed by the dise or mass which being free to move laterally about the shaft 30, merely moves in the required direction to compensate for or absorb such shocks and stresses.

It will also be apparent, that energy is stored inl the disc or mass when it is rotated and that this energy is expended periodically to reciprocate the rod 19 whereby great forces can be applied to the rod 19 to cause it 'to reciprocate even though a relatively small motor is avail` able to rotate the `driveshaft 36.

It will be seen now that a motion translating device for translating or changing the rotary motion of the driveY While a drive shaft 36 has lbeen shown as the means for rotating the mass, it could be conceivably rotated by electrical or lluid means directly applied to mass. The yieldable suspension of the mass by means of the springs is illustrative only of one means of so supporting the mass, the tool or machine to which the reciprocable rod is to be connected may in itself provide the floating or yielding support required for the mass.

In Figure 4 is illustrated a modified form of the disc Vor mass 134 which is provided with a radial Ibore 135 closed at its outer end by a disc or plug 136 threaded therein. A ball or weight 137 is biased inwardly toward the disc shaft 135 by a spring 138. A compensating empty bore 139 may also be provided which is located radially opposite the bore 133 although this bore may be omitted as desired. The purpose of the ball or weight 137 is to cause greater displacement of the disc shaft 135 from the center of mass of the disc 134 as the speed of rotationl of the disc increases. As the speed increases, centrifugal force will move the ball or weight 137 radially outwardly against the resistance of the spring 138 thus moving the center of weight or mass of the disc away from the disc shaft 135. The provision of this movable .weight affords smaller starting loads on the drive shaft without sacrificing maximum power output on the reciprocable work means.

'In Figures 5 and 6 is illustrated another form of the device which includes two masses or discs 234a and 234b which are driven by a single drive shaft 236. The disc shafts 235a and 235i; are connected by a universal couplingV or connection 240 which ensures that the rods 219a and 219b move in unison, but always in opposite directions. Similarly, any lateral movements of the masses 234a and234b will always be simultaneous and in opposite directions so that the supporting frame 211 is protected. against vibration, the vibratory forces generated by one mass and its rod being counterbalanced by similar but`- oppositely` acting vibratory forces of the other mass and its rod.

In Figure 7 is illustrated another modified form of the device` wherein the disc or mass 334 is rigidly mounted on a shaftl 335 which is displaced from the center of mass or weight of the disc. A plurality of pairs of drive arms 336 have their.` inner ends pivotally connected to the mass adjacent` the discshaft 335, as at 337, while their outer ends are pivotally connected, as at 338, to the inner ends of reciprocable rods 339 which extend slidably through bearings 340 in a collar or housing 341 which is supt ported on a frame 342. Outwardly of the bearings and shaft 36`to the reciprocable movement of the rod 19has been provided which includes a mass or disc 34 having a shaft 35 displaced from its center of mass which is rotatably supported by drive arms 31 and 32 and which is the mass 34 rotates is increased, the mass tends to rotate about its center axis X-X which passes through the center of mass or weight and thus causes the. rod 19l to |be reciprocated.

housing springs 343 are disposed about the rods 339 and are held thereon by collars 344. The springs 344 bear against their collars and their bearings to bias each rod outwardly. Y

As the disc 334 is. rotated, the disc shaft 335 will follow .a circular path since its axis does not pass through the center of mass of the disc and, of course, the drive arms 336 will progressively and consecutively reciprocate the rods 339 asthey also are moved.

It will be apparent that in Figures 5 and 6 and in Figure 7 motion translating devices have been shown which are adapted to drive a plurality of reciprocable work means where only a single rotating drive means is available. It will be understood that the disc shafts 235:1 and 235b andthe disc shaft 335 are driven by a flexible shaft such .as the shaft 36 or by rigidly mounted shafts which are provided with universal connections to the disc shafts.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modication as maybe construed to fall within the scope'and meaning ofthe appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is: y

1. AAmotion translating device including a rotatable mass having a irst axis passing through its center of mass; a reciprocable means; means extending between and pivotally connected to said reciprocable means and to said mass at a point displaced from said first axis, said mass being yieldingly supported by said reciprocable means, and Ameans for rotating said mass vwhereby it tends to rotate about said first axis.

2. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocablel motion including, a rotatable drive shaft; a mass having a first axis passing through its center; means connecting said drive shaft to said mass at a point displaced from said axis for rotating said mass about a sec-ond axis parallel to said first axis and also permitting rotation of said mass about said first axis; a reciprocable member; and means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said mass at said point and to said reciprocable member, said reciprocable member yieldingly supporting said mass.

3. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocable motion including, a rotatable drive shaft; a mass having a first axis passing through its center; means connecting said drive shaft to said mass at a point displaced from said axis for rotating said mass about a second axis parallel to said rst axis and also permitting rotation of said mass about said first axis; a reciprocable member; and mean pivotally connected at opposite ends to said mass at said point and to said reciprocable member, said reciprocable member yieldingly supporting sid mass, said connecting means being pivotable at its ends about axes which .are parallel to said first and second axes.

4. A motion translating device for translating rotary Y motion into reciprocable motion including, a rotatable drive shaft; a mass having a firstaxis passing through its center; means connecting said drive shaft to said mass at a point displaced from said axis for rotating said mass about a second axis parallel to said first axis and also permitting rotation of said mass about said first axis; a reciprocable member; and means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said mass at said point and to said reciprocable member, said reciprocablev member yieldingly supporting said mass, said reciprocable member being reciprocable along an axis perpendicular to said axes.

5. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocable motion including, a rotatable drive shaft; a mass having a rst axis passing through its center; means connecting said drive shaft to said mass at a point displaced from said axis for rotating said mass about a second axis parallel to said first axis and also permitting rotation of said mass about said first axis; a reciprocable member; and means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said mass at said point and to said reciprocable member, said reciprocable member yieldingly supporting said mass, said connecting means being pivotable at its ends about axes which are parallel to said first and second axes, said reciprocable member being reciprocable along an axis perpendicular to said axes.

6. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocatory motion including: a rotatable drive shaft; a mass rigidly mounted on a second shaft, said second shaft having -a first axis displaced from and parallel to a second axis passing through the center of mass; a reciprocable member mounted in a xed structure for reciprocating movement along an axis perpendicular to said axes; connecting means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said second shaft and to said reciprocable member, said drive shaft being connected to said second shaft to rotate said second shaft, said mass also being free to rotate about said second axis.

7. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocatory motion including: a rotatable drive shaft; a mass rigidly mounted on a second shaft, said second shaft having a first axis displaced from and parallel to a second axis passing through the center of mass; a reciprocable member mounted in a xed strucb ture for reciprocating movement along an axis perpendicular to saidv axes; connecting means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said second shaft and to said reciprocable member, said drive shaft being connected to said second shaft to rotate vsaid second shaft, said mass also being free to rotate about Vsaidrsecond axis, said connecting means being pivotable at its ends about axes which are parallel to said first andsecond axes.

8. A motion translating device including a rotatable mass having a first axis passing through its center of mass; a reciprocable means; means extending between and pivotally connected to said reciprocable means and to said mass at a point displaced from said first axis, said mass being yieldingly supported by said reciprocable means, and means for rotating said mass whereby it tends to rotate about said first axis, said mass being provided with an outwardly displaceable weight which moves outwardly in accordance withV the speed of rotation of said mass to move the center of mass away from said first axis.

9. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocable motion including, a rotatable drive shaft; a mass having a first axis passing through its center; means connecting said drive shaft to said mass at a point displaced from said axis for rotating said mass about a second axis parallel to said first axis and also permitting rotation of said mass about said first axis; a reciprocable member; and means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said mass at said point and to said reciprocable member, said reciprocable member yieldingly supporting said mass, said mass being provided with an outwardly displaceable weight which moves outwardly in accordance with the speed of rotation of said mass to move the center of mass away from said second axis.

10. A motion translating device for translating rotary motion into reciprocable motion including, a rotatable drive shaft; a mass having a first axis passing through its center; means connecting said drive shaft to said mass at a point displaced from said axis for rotating said mass about a second axis parallel to said first axis and also permitting rotation of said mass about said first axis; a reciprocable member; and means pivotally connected at opposite ends to said mass at said point and to said reciprocable member, said reciprocable member yieldingly supporting said mass, said connecting means being pivotable at its ends about axes which are parallel to said first and second axes, said mass being provided with an outwardly displaceable weight which moves Voutwardly in accordance with the speed of rotation of said mass to move the center of mass away from said second axis.

11. A motion translating device including a plurality of rotatable masses, each having an axis passing through its center of masses, a reciprocable mass for each of said masses; and a connecting means for each of said masses pivotally connected at its opposite ends to its mass at a point displaced from said first axis and to its reciprocable means, each mass being yieldingly supported by its reciprocable means, means connecting said masses to cause said masses to rotate simultaneously about their axes, said axes being parallel but displaced whereby said reciprocable means move simultaneously but in opposite directions, and means for rotating said masses.

l2. A motion translating device including a rotatable body having a first axis passing through its center of mass, a plurality of reciprocable means, a plurality of connecting means, each of said connecting means being pivotally connected at its opposite ends to one of said reciprocable means and to said body at a point displaced from said first axis, said body being yieldingly supported by said reciprocable means, and means for rotating said body whereby said body tends to rotate about said first ax1s.

13. A motion translating; device including a rotatable mass having'a first axis passing through its center ol?v mass; a reciprocable means; means extending between and pivotally connected to'said reciprocable means and t'o said mass at a point displaced from said first axis, said mass being yieldingly supported by said reciprocable means, and means for rotating said mass whereby it tends to rotate about said first axis, said mass being provided with an outwardly displaceable weight to move the center of mass away from said first axis. l

14. A motion translating device including a rotatable mass, having a rst axis passing through its center of mass;

means for rotating said mass about an axis, displaced from sa'id r-st axis; a reciprocable member; means extending'between and pivotally connectedv to said rotatable mass, and to said reciprocable member; andv means for rotating said mass whereby it tends to rotate about said rst axis.

References Cited in the Iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,604,681 Clemens Oct. 26, 1926 

